Champions for School Health
Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Confidence and Access
Program Overview
The Champions for School Health project, to increase confidence in and access to pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations, is created in partnership with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) and with the financial support of Kaiser Permanente in California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia. The project will address both the immediate and long-term goals and outcomes of:
- increasing pediatric COVID-19 vaccination rates among children aged 5-11,
- increasing confidence in pediatric COVID-19 vaccines,
- creating sustainable school and community partnerships, and
- increasing health equity for under-resourced communities.
NASN and IEL understand the seriousness of how COVID-19 has exacerbated the threat to our children’s total well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown light on health inequities in our nation. The impact of COVID-19 on health inequities will not be just in terms of virus-related infection, but also the total physical and mental health of our children. Public schools cannot meet this opportunity and create these conditions for the total well-being of children alone, but experience shows that results-based partnerships can.
Through this project, NASN will develop a series of resources to address common barriers to offering school located vaccine clinics and community access to COVID-19 vaccines and develop microbursts of learning to assist school nurses in facilitating one-on-one conversations regarding vaccine confidence. Preparing for this kind of ongoing, high-touch outreach can be a vital part of the vaccination effort, as a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed parents of 5–11-year-olds who said their school encouraged them to get their child vaccinated were four times as likely get their younger child the COVID-19 vaccine than those who said their school did not encourage vaccination.
The project includes grant funding through two vehicles: $1 million in implementation grants administered through NASN, and $1 million in challenge grant funding administered through IEL. While funding opportunities will be focused on Kaiser Permanente’s footprint, the lessons learned and resulting materials will be applicable across the nation.
Funding Announcement
Funding for this program is closed.
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